King Charles's London home set for big change over Easter weekend

October 2024 · 4 minute read

Buckingham Palace will welcome clocks from the Royal Collection

King Charles's London home Buckingham Palace will welcome a big change over the weekend. Ahead of the clocks going forward on Sunday as British Summer Time begins, clocks from the Royal Collection will be returning to the Yellow Drawing Room and Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace.

Over the weekend, a team of three horological conservators will change the clocks across the King's official residences. 

Images released by the trust show horologists returning clocks to the East Wing, as works of art are reinstalled after the completion of five years of improvement works.

The timepieces returning to the palace include musical clocks, astronomical clocks and miniature clocks. The Anne Boleyn Clock is the oldest in the collection and is said to have been given by Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn on the morning of their marriage in 1532.

While Buckingham Palace isn't Charles and Queen Camilla's current home, it soon will be as the pair are set to relocate from Clarence House to the 775-room palace in 2027. 

More royal news

The move is due to take place after a ten-year renovation in the Palace's North Wing is complete, where private apartments are currently being constructed. The project, costing £369 million, began when the late Queen Elizabeth II was alive, with her son now overseeing the works.

The monarch is also in the process of hiring a new full-time Housekeeping Assistant member ahead of the relocation. 

The duties for the role, which is advertised on the Royal Household website, include: "Upkeep clean and care for a wide range of interiors and items, ensuring they're presented to their very best."

It is unclear whether Charles will keep Clarence House as a secondary home after he and Camilla move to the palace. 

The return of clocks to the King's London abode isn't the only change to his residencies in recent weeks as his beloved Scottish estate Balmoral is now open to the public. As of 23 March, the doors to the Aberdeenshire-based castle have been open to visitors. 

As well as the changes at Buckingham Palace, this weekend will also see Charles and Camilla attend the Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. 

The couple are expected to attend the service alongside other members of the royal family. In the past, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James have been present, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. 

HELLO! understands that this year, the Prince and Princess of Wales will not be making an appearance at the church service as Kate continues with her preventative treatment for cancer and undergoes her recovery. 

Sunday's service will mark Charles' first significant public outing since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year.

LISTEN: How Kate's video came about and how it's connected to the late Queen

LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!

If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…

What is it?

Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal.

Member benefits

By royal decree

You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHLpaammZeWx6q6xGeaqKVfnbyusdJobGpuZGx9cLfIp55mm5iWv62x0majqKaUpLtutM6mnGarlal6p7vRZpmin12YtaK6xp5knpmjqbKzedaenKSdnpl8